PREMIUM ROOMS

Today I am transmitting for your immediate consideration and
enactment the "Antiterrorism Amendments Act of 1995." This
comprehensive Act, together with the "Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of
1995," which I transmitted to the Congress on February 9, 1995, are
critically important components of my Administration's effort to
combat domestic and international terrorism.

The tragic bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City
on April 19th stands as a challenge to all Americans to preserve a
safe society. In the wake of this cowardly attack on innocent men,
women, and children, following other terrorist incidents at home and
abroad over the past several years, we must ensure that law
enforcement authorities have the legal tools and resources they need
to fight terrorism. The Antiterrorism Amendments Act of 1995 will
help us to prevent terrorism through vigorous and effective
investigation and prosecution. Major provisions of this Act would:

* Permit law enforcement agencies to gain access to financial and
credit reports in antiterrorism cases, as is currently permitted with
bank records. This would allow such agencies to track the source and
use of funds by suspected terrorists.

* Apply the same legal standard in national security cases that is
currently used in other criminal cases for obtaining permission to
track telephone traffic with "pen registers" and "trap and trace"
devices.

* Enable law enforcement agencies to utilize the national security
letter process to obtain records critical to terrorism investigations
from hotels, motels, common carriers, storage facilities, and vehicle
rental facilities.

* Expand the authority of law enforcement agencies to conduct
electronic surveillance, within constitutional safeguards. Examples
of this increased authority include additions to the list of felonies
that can be used as the basis for a surveillance order, and
enhancement of law enforcement's ability to keep pace with
telecommunications technology by obtaining multiple point wiretaps
where it is impractical to specify the number of the phone to be
tapped (such as the use of a series of cellular phones).

* Require the Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms to study the inclusion of taggants (microscopic
particles) in standard explosive device raw materials to permit
tracing the source of those materials after an explosion; whether
common chemicals used to manufacture explosives can be rendered
inert; and whether controls can be imposed on certain basic chemicals
used to manufacture other explosives.

* Require the inclusion of taggants in standard explosive device raw
materials after the publication of implementing regulations by the
Secretary of the Treasury.

* Enable law enforcement agencies to call on the special expertise
of the Department of Defense in addressing offenses involving
chemical and biological weapons.

* Make mandatory at least a 10-year penalty for transferring
firearms or explosives with knowledge that they will be used to
commit a crime of violence and criminalize the possession of stolen
explosives.

* Impose enhanced penalties for terrorist attacks against current
and former Federal employees, and their families, when the crime is
committed because of the employee's official duties.

* Provide a source of funds for the digital telephony bill, which I
signed into law last year, ensuring court-authorized law enforcement
access to electronic surveillance of digitized communications.

These proposals are described in more detail in the enclosed section-
by-section analysis.

The Administration is prepared to work immediately with the Congress
to enact antiterrorism legislation. My legislation will provide an
effective and comprehensive response to the threat of terrorism,
while also protecting our precious civil liberties. I urge the
prompt and favorable consideration of the Administration's
legislative proposals by the Congress.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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